268 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1959 
Moscow sent a delegation to announce the intentions of the Soviet 
Union to participate—a development of strong accelerating effect, 
since no less than 66 nations eventually joined. Another significant 
event occurred at Rome. Following shortly after initial reeommenda- 
tions from URSI and IUGG, the CSAGI group formally proposed 
that countries able to do so undertake to place artificial earth satel- 
lites in orbit for the uniquely valuable observations seen to be possible 
by such means. Thus geophysicists hoped to acquire otherwise inac- 
cessible information bearing on the cause and formation of the aurora, 
on the fluctuations of the earth’s magnetic field, on the roles of the 
solar ultraviolet, X-ray and particle radiation, and on cosmic-ray 
phenomena. 
Flights of earth satellites and space exploration were soon to be- 
come realities in any event. It was nevertheless a direct result of 
the agreement reached at Rome that the United States and the Soviet 
Union embarked at this time on what was to become perhaps man’s 
most adventurous scientific enterprise. It was of course destined to 
produce results far beyond the initial expectations of CSAGI. 
In the United States a national committee was established by the 
National Academy of Sciences, headed by Joseph Kaplan, and func- 
tioning with a secretariat headed by Hugh Odishaw as executive 
director. This committee became the focus of a large structure of 
technical panels, geographical committees, and other special groups, 
including a broad cross section of leading American geophysicists. 
The National Science Foundation, under technical guidance of the 
committee, prepared budget estimates and obtained congressional ap- 
propriations with which the large U.S. program was funded. Great 
logistic and operational contributions were made also by defense 
agencies, particularly for Antarctic expeditionary activities and 
rocket and satellite work. 
The IGY grew to the status of big business. Directly appropriated 
U.S. funds amounted to some $48.5 million, and the estimated value 
of contributions from Federal agencies was in the order of $500 
million, including logistics, Antarctic operations, missilery, etc. The 
effort of the Soviet. Union was evidently equal to, and may have ex- 
ceeded, that of America. The contributions of numerous other coun- 
tries were impressive too—in a number of cases greater in relation to 
population or national wealth than the U.S. effort. A loose estimate 
of the total contributions of all nations would come to something like 
$2 billion. 
THE SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF IGY 
No comprehensive account or full appraisal of the scientific results 
is yet possible. The IGY was primarily a period of observation and 
data gathering, and it will require years for the world scientific com- 
